Chapter 21.2

Wen Xin sighed. Even in the modern world, making money wasn’t this hard. As long as the product was good, there was no need to worry about sales. She could just list it online and wait for the orders to roll in—no need for this much effort.

She even considered trying the black market. But her product wasn’t food or fabric—it wasn’t something essential. In this era, for most laborers struggling to fill their stomachs, who cared about skincare?

At noon, after taking a nap, Wen Xin grabbed a random book from the shelf and went to the pavilion under the shade of a tree. She lounged lazily, flipping through the pages. If she hadn’t transmigrated after finishing her college entrance exams, going to university in this era might have been a viable path.

A few idle military wives gathered in the pavilion, chatting. Wen Xin half-listened in a relaxed daze. Before long, Sun Changwei’s wife came in from outside, her face flushed—whether from the sun or from anger was unclear.

As soon as she saw Wen Xin, she couldn’t help but complain, “It’s all because of you, girl! Now I’m stuck in a mess, not knowing which side to stand on!”

“Sis-in-law, what did I do now?”

“What did you do? That Fang family’s son has taken a fancy to you! He insists on marrying you, and his family has been causing a commotion for days. They’ve come to me four or five times already—it’s driving me crazy! I must’ve been out of my mind when I introduced you two. What was I thinking?” She grumbled but then suddenly stopped mid-sentence, glancing at Wen Xin, who was confused.

Wen Xin blinked in bewilderment. “And then?” How did the Fang family’s son’s matter get tangled up with the Yan family?

“And then! Then it’s all because of that Fang Jungui—he’s dead set on marrying you. Since he doesn’t know you’re working as a housemaid, he keeps coming to me instead. Two visits a day! Annoying, isn’t it? But from the looks of it, he’s genuinely into you—truly devoted. But you…” She eyed Wen Xin, who was still groggy from her nap.

With a heavy sigh, she realized how foolish she had been. How had she not thought of this before? Wen Xin, this delicate and beautiful girl, was constantly in sight, yet she had been blind to the obvious. She had even tried to marry her off! Now she had gotten herself stuck in the middle—Fang’s family resented her, Wen Xin had missed a good marriage prospect, and her husband scolded her every day for her poor judgment.

And that devil…

That devil didn’t say anything, just drove his car over and calmly told her husband, Old Sun, to bring out the woman he had escorted inside. Old Sun knew Wen Xin, so there was no need for further explanation. It was obvious—his foolish wife had meddled where she shouldn’t have, trying to snatch someone from their superior’s household. How blind could she be?

Sun Changwei’s wife still felt aggrieved. Who had she offended? She had only played matchmaker, yet she got it all wrong? Besides, Commander Yan hadn’t even filed a relationship report in the army—how was she supposed to know she was stepping on someone’s toes?

Unable to hold back her frustration, she plopped down beside Wen Xin. “Wen Xin, are you seeing someone? Don’t keep me in the dark. If you’re already involved with someone, why did you come with me to meet someone else?”

“No, no, sis-in-law, who told you that? I’m single!” Wen Xin immediately sobered up. This was a huge misunderstanding!

“Really?”

“Really! More real than pearls!”

Sun Changwei’s wife scrutinized her from head to toe. “Tsk, tsk. You little girl, you always seemed sharp, but now you’re acting so clueless. Use your brain! You’re always focused on making money—why don’t you think about anything else? This time, you’ve got a real chance! A golden opportunity! If you miss this one, you’ll regret it forever!”

With that, she turned on her heel and stomped away.

“Huh?” Wen Xin called after her. “Hey, hey, what golden opportunity? At least finish your sentence! Only cowards leave things half-said! If you have the guts, come back and explain everything clearly!”

…

For the past few days, the regiment had been conducting an intense wilderness training exercise. The commander himself led the troops, pushing them through grueling drills. Within two days, several soldiers had fainted, and even those with good endurance were groaning from exhaustion.

This was extreme outdoor training in over thirty-degree heat. By the end of the day, they were drenched in sweat, as if they had been wrung out like wet rags.

But no one dared to complain.

Because throughout the entire training, their infamous “Devil Commander” was right there with them. He had always been the strongest in the regiment—his completion rate was the highest, and he set the toughest example. At first, a few hotheaded soldiers tried to challenge him, but in the end, they all collapsed like exhausted dogs.

Still, that didn’t stop some from secretly grinding their teeth in frustration. High-intensity physical training in this scorching weather—wasn’t this just torture?

But what could they do? Their commander was notorious for being ruthless.

After several days of training, they returned to the base looking like mud-covered monkeys, completely drained.

That night, after returning to the regiment in a military jeep, Political Commissar Ye Jianzhou entered Commander Yan Zeyang’s office.

The so-called “Devil Commander” had just finished showering. His hair was still damp, and there was a fresh scratch on his face from a tree branch. Yet, he sat upright at his desk, calmly reading reports and documents.

Ye Jianzhou found a random spot to sit. “It’s late. Why aren’t you going home?”

“I’ll leave after finishing these files.” Yan Zeyang didn’t even look up as he responded.

“Have you been to the cafeteria?”

“Mm.”

Ye Jianzhou had watched this kid grow step by step in the military. All of his achievements were earned through his own effort and perseverance, not because of his father. Ye Jianzhou had to admit—like father, like son—this kid was truly ambitious.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be unmarried. Speaking of that, just a few days ago, he wasn’t eating at the cafeteria at all, no matter how busy he was, he would rush back home before sundown. But now, he had reverted to his old habits, practically living in his office and only leaving after nine at night.

As a political commissar whose job was to guide and counsel soldiers, Ye Jianzhou was keenly aware that this wasn’t normal. Even this sudden, personally-led field training seemed more like an emotional outlet than a necessary exercise.

Many of the young soldiers had been pushed to their limits during the grueling training—some had even been scared to tears. Their “devil commander” had certainly lived up to his reputation.

It looked like he, as the political commissar, would have to set aside some time for ideological counseling again.

But that was just a matter for the regiment. As for the regiment’s highest-ranking officer, Yan Zeyang, his own issues couldn’t be ignored either. Ye Jianzhou had already noticed something was off with him. He wanted to sit down and have a heart-to-heart with him, offer some guidance. But this kid refused to open up, and he couldn’t exactly pry his mouth open, could he?

Still, based on his experience, this was most likely a matter of the heart.

Men couldn’t do without women—especially soldiers. Without a family, there was no real home. When the time came, marriage was a necessity. Settling down in a stable home allowed a man to focus on his career.

Otherwise, with no stability at home, emotions could spiral out of control, and that could lead to serious problems.

Ye Jianzhou didn’t know what exactly had happened, but judging from the situation, it seemed like something had gone wrong with a relationship.

Wait a minute—when had he even started dating someone? Why didn’t he know about it?

Well, that was easy to fix. If one relationship didn’t work out, he could always introduce him to someone else.

And so, Ye Jianzhou smoothly transitioned into his usual matchmaking mode, casually bringing up a few young women he thought were suitable.

“…The youngest daughter of Staff Officer Wang. She just turned twenty this year, very delicate and refined. I heard she got into Beijing University last year and will be coming back to the compound for summer break. You should remember her—you two grew up in the same courtyard. Childhood friends, and you’re both at the right age. How about it? Meet up one day, have a meal, chat for a bit?”

In the past, Yan Zeyang would have flatly refused.

Either he’d glance over, let out a cold snort, and say, “She was still in diapers when I was already ruling the courtyard. What childhood friends? I don’t even know her.”

Or he’d respond with, “I have no interest in snot-nosed kids.”

To which Ye Jianzhou would usually retort, “That was when she was little. Who hasn’t had a runny nose as a kid? You never did?”

And Yan Zeyang would reply with absolute certainty, “No.” His health had always been excellent—runny noses? Never happened.

Ye Jianzhou: Yeah, right.

But this time, after he finished speaking—

There was a long silence from the desk.

Then, after what felt like forever, a single reply came:

“Alright. Let’s meet.”

Ye Jianzhou was so shocked he nearly jumped. Did I hear that right?

He actually agreed?!

“You—where do you want to meet?” Ye Jianzhou quickly followed up, afraid he’d change his mind.

“If she’s from the compound, then we’ll meet at home.”

“What?” Ye Jianzhou’s mouth fell open. He’s going straight to her house for a formal meeting?

This guy’s really going for it. If he does this, isn’t it basically set in stone?

“Wait, you mean—her home?” He had to be sure before reporting back to his superior. This was a big deal.

The man at the desk flipped a page in his document, his expression as indifferent as ever.

“My home.”

Ye Jianzhou: “……”